Numbers 23:21

23:21 He ¹  has not looked on iniquity in Jacob, ² 

nor has he seen trouble ³  in Israel.

The Lord their God is with them;

his acclamation ⁴  as king is among them.

Numbers 23:23

23:23 For there is no spell against ⁵  Jacob,

nor is there any divination against Israel.

At this time ⁶  it must be said ⁷  of Jacob

and of Israel, ‘Look at ⁸  what God has done!’

[23:21]  ¹ tn These could be understood as impersonal and so rendered “no one has discovered.”

[23:21]  ² sn The line could mean that God has regarded Israel as the ideal congregation without any blemish or flaw. But it could also mean that God has not looked on their iniquity, meaning, held it against them.

[23:21]  ³ tn The word means “wrong, misery, trouble.” It can mean the idea of “disaster” as well, for that too is trouble. Here it is parallel to “iniquity” and so has the connotation of something that would give God reason to curse them.

[23:21]  ⁴ tn The people are blessed because God is their king. In fact, the shout of acclamation is among them – they are proclaiming the Lord God as their king. The word is used normally for the sound of the trumpet, but also of battle shouts, and then here acclamation. This would represent their conviction that Yahweh is king. On the usage of this Hebrew word see further BDB 929-30 s.v. תְּרוּעָה; HALOT 1790-91 s.v.

[23:23]  ⁵ tn Or “in Jacob.” But given the context the meaning “against” is preferable. The words describe two techniques of consulting God; the first has to do with observing omens in general (“enchantments”), and the second with casting lots or arrows of the like (“divinations” [Ezek 21:26]). See N. H. Snaith, Leviticus and Numbers (NCB), 295-96.

[23:23]  ⁶ tn The form is the preposition “like, as” and the word for “time” – according to the time, about this time, now.

[23:23]  ⁷ tn The Niphal imperfect here carries the nuance of obligation – one has to say in amazement that God has done something marvelous or “it must be said.”

[23:23]  ⁸ tn The words “look at” are not in the Hebrew text but have been added in the translation for clarity.